2006 Volkswagen Rabbit 4-Door Review

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD
WITH CAREY RUSS

2006 Volkswagen Rabbit 4-Door

What was to be the latest generation of the Golf hatchback was, for the
American market, renamed to Rabbit at the last minute. The car was always
knows as the Golf in the rest of the world, and in Europe and Asia it's
Golf today. But it was Rabbit here when it replaced the long-running Beetle
in the late 1970s, and the Rabbit name still had plenty of equity and
recognition. Volkswagen is returning to its roots.

The new Rabbit is a return to the VW roots in another, and more important
way as well. It's aimed at the heart of the compact class, where the German
automaker first achieved success long ago, and provides a solid alternative
to the Asian cars that now dominate that category. It's offered in two- and
four-door trim, both very well-equipped and competitively priced. There are
alternatives for less than the two-door Rabbit's base MSRP of $14,990 or
the four-door's $16,990, but those alternatives don't include the Rabbit's
high level of standard equipment and comfort. And, with 150 horsepower, the
Rabbit's torquey 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine is significantly
stronger than any competitor, while returning very respectable gas mileage.
The Rabbit's optional automatic transmission is not the four- or five-speed
usual for the class, but a six-speed.

As might be guessed from the use of that drivetrain, and its similarity in
shape to the latest GTI, the 2006 Rabbit is built on the same platform as
the Jetta and GTI, which means that it now features a fully-independent
suspension and four-wheel antilock disc brakes, unlike many of its
competitors. Here it most shows its distinction from other small cars, for
its ride and handling qualities are purely German, with good comfort, a
quiet driving experience, and the fun-to-drive character that has given VW
an almost cult-like following. That sporty German character shouldn't be
surprising, as the car is now not merely ``German engineered'', production
has been transferred back to Wolfsburg, Germany.

I've spent the past week with a four-door Rabbit equipped with some key
options including the automatic, a power sunroof, 16-inch wheels and tires,
the ESP stability control system, and XM satellite radio. So-equipped it's
no ``econobox,'' it's a small-on-the-outside, large-inside car with the
comfort, road manners, and performance of a car a class or two above and a
distinctive character.

APPEARANCE: Stylistic changes between the last Golf and the new
Rabbit are mostly subtle. As before, it's a two-box hatchback, but with
sleeker lines. It's a little longer, both in overall length and wheelbase,
and both versions have the same dimensions. The two-door model's doors are
longer than the four-door's front doors, pushing the B-pillar back a few
inches. At the front, the ``goatee'' trim introduced in chrome on the Jetta
and Passat and black on the GTI is notably absent. The fenders are more
pronounced, and more triangular headlights and a reshaped grille give a
fresh new look. The rear is the most changed part, with large, rounded
wraparound taillights. The VW logo is prominently displayed in the center
of the grille and on the trunk, but nowhere does it say ``Rabbit.''
Instead, look for the chrome bunny.

COMFORT: As outside, the Rabbit's interior is a bit fresher in an
evolutionary way, and a touch larger. And as ever, it's well-appointed and
very comfortable, and the steering wheel is manually-adjustable for both
tilt and reach. Materials used are all synthetic, but of high quality and
handsome design. Air conditioning is standard in both models, and it works
well - I was pleasantly cool even when the outside thermometer read well
over 100. Instrumentation is complete, and the instrument panel is
well-designed. Windows are power-operated, as is the optional glass
sunroof. Interestingly, the driver's seat in four-door Rabbits has power
back angle adjustment and manual cushion adjustment, for eight parameters
total. The front passenger seat has the same adjustments, only completely
manually. Seat comfort rivals some cars costing considerably more, and the
velour upholstery feels very good. The rear seat is split 60/40, and in the
four-door also has a ski passthrough and folding center armrest. The beauty
of a four-door hatchback lies in its versatility. The four doors obviously
make passenger access easy. They also help significantly in arranging cargo
with the rear seat partially or completely folded. And items that can never
fit through a sedan's trunk go easily through a hatchback opening.

SAFETY: The four-door Rabbit has received ``Top Safety Pick,
Silver'' status from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for its
performance in frontal offset, side-impact, and rear-impact tests. It also
has earned a four-star rating for driver and front passenger frontal crash
protection and a five-star rating for side crash protection from the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The full complement of
front, front side, and side-curtain airbags are standard, with rear side
airbags available in the four-door. Four-wheel antilock disc brakes with
electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, traction control, and an
electronic differential lock are also standard, with the ESP electronic
stability control system available.

RIDE AND HANDLING: Like its cousins the Jetta and GTI, the new
Rabbit has an improved unibody structure that boasts increased structural
rigidity and replaces the old rear torsion-beam axle with a
fully-independent multilink suspension design. MacPherson struts continue
in front. If not as firm as the GTI's, the Rabbit's suspension settings are
firmer than in Golfs of old, and result in both very good ride comfort and
entertainingly enthusiastic handling. Electro-mechanical variably-assisted
power steering helps the driving experience, too, by providing a light
touch at parking speeds and appropriately more effort at speed.

PERFORMANCE: Where most compact hatchbacks have a four-cylinder
engine of 2.0 liters or less, and the old Golf fit right in with a
115-horsepower 2.0-liter, the Rabbit has more. Much more, as in a twin-cam,
20-valve 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder powerplant that makes 150
horsepower at 5000 rpm and a very healthy 170 lb-ft of torque at 3750 rpm -
with most of that peak available from 1800 through 5000 rpm. A five-speed
manual gearbox is standard, with a six-speed automatic with both
Tiptronic(r) manual-shift mode and Sport mode optional. My test car had the
automatic, and if it had a negative impact on performance, I didn't much
notice. The engine's strong torque and wide torque band, and the
transmission's six speeds to improve both acceleration and cruising fuel
economy seem meant for each other. Manual shifting worked well on tight
roads, but Sport mode worked very nearly as well, holding gears through
corners and even downshifting when necessary. Fuel economy, EPA 22mpg city
and 30 highway, with 24 during my week, may not quite be up to the best in
the small hatchback class, but the Rabbit is larger and more substantial
and fully capable of delivering comfort on a long drive, not merely a short
commute.

CONCLUSIONS: Volkswagen successfully returns to its roots in a
modern way with its new Rabbit hatchback.

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